The Best Christmas Movie From Every Year of the Past Decade
Who said that Hallmark was the only place to find a good Christmas movie these days? Over the past decade, we’ve been treated to a large assortment of fantastic movies centered around the jolliest time of the year. Granted, the holiday movies that have been released over the past 10 years are not your grandparents’ Christmas movies.
No, these movies come with scares, laughs, and love that were made for the modern audience. So, if you’re needing an awesome Christmas movie to take your mind off of all of that gift wrapping, we’ve chosen the best Christmas movie from every year of the past decade, starting with 2015, that you should definitely have on the holiday watchlist. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
10
‘Krampus’ (2015)
As much as Christmas movies are about family dysfunction and a green being wanting to ruin the joy of the season, holiday films have also had a surprising number of good horror movies that have caught audiences by surprise, turning everything nice about Christmas into a nightmare. Enter Krampus, the 2015 comedy horror film that’s based on an actual European folklore.
Here, we follow a dysfunctional family (typical for this time of year) whose constant arguing and fighting lead a young boy to lose the spirit of Christmas. This is not good, as it unleashes Krampus, a demonic, horned beast who loves to punish naughty kids. Krampus could have easily been a throwaway movie, but director Michael Dougherty aimed to make it one people would want to watch every holiday season, and we believe he succeeded in that, with its surprising gore and a plot that viewers can have a good time with.
9
‘Almost Christmas (2016)
We went with a more traditional Christmas comedy-drama here that is actually overlooked and underrated. That movie is Almost Christmas, directed by David E. Talbert and starring an ensemble cast led by Kimberly Elise and featuring Gabrielle Union, D.C. Young Fly, and Danny Glover.
Almost Christmas plays by the holiday movie rule-book. The story follows a family that comes together after the death of the children’s mother, and all sorts of Christmas dysfunction ensue. It checks all the boxes. Dysfunctional family? Check. A funny plot involving said family? Double check. Everyone coming together to realize the meaning of it? Triple check. The plot is simple and serviceable, but the cast makes the most out of the story, and you’ll come out of this film laughing and having a pretty good time. If Krampus is not your speed, Almost Christmas certainly will be.
8
‘Daddy’s Home 2’ (2017)
In 2015, Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg teamed up with director Sean Anders to star in Daddy’s Home, a movie about a stepfather who is vying for the attention of his wife (Linda Cardellini) after their kids’ biological father shows back up. Daddy’s Home was a box office hit, grossing over $240 million and becoming Ferrell’s highest-grossing live-action film ever. So, with all that success, a sequel was greenlit, and two years later. Ferrell and Wahlberg returned in Daddy’s Home 2, which, naturally, was themed around the holidays.
As with most sequels, Daddy’s Home 2 expands the plot of the original film, with the two former rival dads now having to deal with their own fathers (John Lithgow and Mel Gibson) during Christmas. Daddy’s Home 2 was not as successful as the original, but you’ll still find plenty of laughs and family Christmas shenanigans to be had within this film, and really, isn’t that what the holidays are all about?
7
‘The Grinch’ (2018)
As much as Santa Claus is part of the lore of the Christmas season, so too is The Grinch. Created by Dr. Seuss, the grumpy, holiday-hating character who finds the meaning of the season has been adapted in a famed 1966 TV special, and a 2000s live-action reboot starring Jim Carrey. In 2018, the lovable character went the way of computer digitization in The Grinch, directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney.
The 2018 adaptation stayed largely with the same plot, so you’re not getting anything different here, except, of course, the adorable animation. However, a classic such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a story that shouldn’t be altered, as it’s timeless and great in all kinds of mediums.
6
‘Frozen II’ (2019)
In 2013, Disney hit a huge payday with the release of Frozen, a movie inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 tale The Snow Queen. The animated movie raked in over $1.2 billion at the box office, knocking The Lion King off its perch as the highest-grossing animated movie in history. Making that kind of revenue, it was inevitable that Frozen would get a sequel, and it arrived six years later with Frozen II.
The film follows Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) as they travel to the enchanted forest to seek out the origin of Elsa’s powers. Frozen II was just as big as the first film, and it was easily the best holiday film of the year. Though not technically a Christmas film, it still has themes related to the holiday that make this a perfect holiday watch.
5
‘The Christmas Setup’ (2020)
So, we’ve arrived at our first (and only) TV Christmas movie on the list. The Christmas Setup is a tender holiday movie that made history, becoming the first LGBTQ-themed holiday movie ever to be broadcast on the Lifetime Network — a pretty sweet accomplishment. The movie, directed by Pat Mills, follows an uptight New York attorney (Ben Lewis) who comes back home for the holidays, only to find love in a former high school crush (Blake Lee).
While The Christmas Setup sure did feel like a typical Hallmark movie, showing a love story between two men was groundbreaking and inspiring. It’s that aspect that sets it apart from the traditional, homogeneous nature of Hallmark movies. Most consider this film one of the best holiday movies of the 2020s, and rightfully so.
4
‘Love Hard’ (2021)
The early 2020s were a great time for holiday movies, as most of the world was basically stuck at home quarantining themselves from the virus that shall not be named. There were a lot of great Christmas movies to choose from during these early years, but the one that stands out in 2021 was Love Hard, a romantic comedy directed by Hernán Jiménez.
Starring Nina Dobrev and Jimmy O. Yang, the movie follows a young woman as she heads home to seek out her crush she met online, only to find out she was catfished. While it was met with mixed reviews (and, let’s be honest, critics are usually not fond of holiday films), Love Hard had a very interesting concept that largely worked, thanks to its leads. Unique while still retaining that classic holiday rom-com feel, Love Hard was the quintessential holiday film of the year.
3
‘Spirited’ (2022)
Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds steal the screen in any movie they star in. Put them both together, and have them singing at that, and you have a holiday comedy that will have you laughing non-stop. Spirited, directed by Sean Anders, is a modern adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famous 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, but what sets this one apart from the others is that it’s actually a satire of the versions that came before it.
They couldn’t have gotten two better stars for this musical comedy, as Ferrell and Reynolds are an absolute riot on the screen. Although it may have run a bit longer than it should have (this movie clocked in at an incredible 127 minutes), Spirited doesn’t waste the viewers’ time, making sure that they get awesome entertainment value every minute it’s on the screen.
2
‘The Holdovers’ (2023)
Imagine being at a boarding school and not having a family to go back home to for the holiday season. Now imagine being stuck there with one of the strictest teachers. This is the central premise of The Holdovers, which was one of the best movies of 2023 period, receiving widespread critical acclaim for the tremendous acting within the film.
Directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti as the strict Paul Hunham, The Holdovers is a modern remake of the French film Merlusse and follows Hunham as he’s forced to chaperone a group of students who can’t go home during the holidays. While it starts off quite depressing, The Holdovers ends on a very touching note, and you’ll be shedding tears once the end credits roll. The Holdovers is an instant classic. It may not be a traditional Christmas movie, but it still hits all of those holiday feels one would want.
1
‘Red One’ (2024)
It was only a matter of time before Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would star in a holiday movie, and let us tell you, it was a doozy. Red One, directed by Jake Kasdan, leans on Johnson’s strength as an action star, with a script that was crafted to be both a traditional holiday film and one that would set itself apart from its peers.
Johnson teams up with Chris Evans, who are both tasked with looking for Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) after he was kidnapped by a Christmas witch (Kiernan Shipka). Yes, you read that right. Santa Claus gets nabbed by a witch, and it’s up to an elite North Pole security team led by Johnson to get him back in time for his Christmas Eve ride. Red One is full of holiday hijinks, making it a perfect modern-day holiday film for the entire family.
